Keep your lips away from deadly 'kissing bugs,' study says

A study published Thursday in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases found that 'kissing bugs' are a lot deadlier than we think. The bugs carry the parasite T. cruzi which can infect people with Chagas disease or trypanosomiasis. Transmission occurs when one is asleep, and the bugs bite around the lips and face to defecate inside the wounds and spread the parasite. According to the World Health Organzation (WHO), around six million people are infected with Chagas disease worldwide. Dr. Ester Cerdeira Sabino, who co-led the study, said that the disease has lifelong consequences if left untreated. “What the parasite does to the body takes a long time; (it) slowly goes into the heart and destroys it. We have measured accurately the risk of death, (as) a lot of mortality data doesn’t account for Chagas.” The researchers stress that antiparasitic drugs are available and have 100-percent efficacy if taken as early as possible.